How I made Okpebholo Edo governor — Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed how he worked against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to help Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerge as governor of Edo State in the 2024 governorship election.

Wike said his determination to stop former Governor Godwin Obaseki from producing a successor informed his decision to support Okpebholo against the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

The former Rivers State governor made the revelation on Monday during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where he claimed that the political alliance played a significant role in the APC’s victory.

According to Wike, Ighodalo approached him more than three times seeking his support, but he rejected the requests because of his political differences with Obaseki.

He maintained that although Ighodalo was a competent candidate, supporting his governorship ambition would have amounted to helping Obaseki retain political control of the state.

“I said I would not allow Obaseki to produce a successor, even though the candidate was a very good candidate, a very good candidate who was the chairman of a bank,” Wike said.

“He came to see me more than three times, but I told him, ‘Listen, I know you are a good candidate, but for this election, I am sorry because this election is between us and the man who is bringing you, called Obaseki.

“‘Returning you would be like bringing him back, so I am sorry, you have to fail.’ And he failed,” the minister declared.

Wike said the Rainbow Coalition’s involvement in the Edo election demonstrated how politicians from different parties could work together to achieve a common political objective.

He cited the election while explaining his strategy to mobilise APC and PDP stakeholders for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The minister urged politicians attending the Abuja meeting to put aside their party differences and work together for the president.

“I want to let all of you know that we are going to work together. Nobody should say, ‘I am PDP’ or ‘I am APC.’ For the purpose of this election, we are together,” he said.

Wike also announced that he would coordinate Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT and Rivers State, declaring himself the field commander of the president’s campaign operations in Abuja.